Lu Tao turned to his left and gave a young man a meaningful look.
The young man nodded slightly, took out a packet of powder from his robes, and sprinkled it over the pile of firewood splitters.
All eyes were locked on the pile of firewood splitters.
But when the powder landed on the blades, there was no reaction whatsoever.
The young constable looked back and shook his head at Lu Tao.
Lu Tao felt a sense of relief, but a self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
'A Constable from the Government Office, and I'm actually worrying about the killer, even wanting to cover for him. What an absolute joke!'
'In this world, what is truly good, and what is evil?'
At that moment, the young man who had inspected the firewood splitters walked back and said, "Liu Da and his men had all trained in martial arts for half a year. But from the traces at the scene, aside from Liu Da who put up a slight struggle, the others didn't resist at all."
"The killer's speed with the blade is truly terrifying."
"The brothers who searched their homes didn't find any useful clues either."
Lu Tao remained noncommittal.
He had come here intending to be perfunctory from the start.
Finding no clues suited him just fine.
The young man walked over to Chu Fan and the others, questioning them one by one.
When he got to Chu Fan, a strange look appeared in his eyes. He sized him up and down before speaking, "You're from the Chu Family?"
Before Chu Fan could respond, Zhao Hu quickly interjected, "Replying to you, Officer, this is Chu Fan... He's been a good kid since he was little. After his parents passed, he's been getting by as a fisherman and often helps out the neighbors."
"Liu Da and his men are vicious. To steal the Chu Family's Old Mansion, they beat up Fan several times. This time, they even smashed his gate and tore his fishing nets. They were leaving him with no way to live!"
Chu Fan was inwardly speechless.
'Mr. Zhao is trying to make me sound more pitiful to gain the officer's sympathy.'
'But if he keeps talking like this, he's just going to make it sound like I'm definitely the killer...'
'Liu Da and his men cut off my livelihood, so I snuck in here to get revenge. The cause and effect are certainly "complete."'
"Oh?"
The young constable was stunned. "Someone else is after the Chu Family's Old Mansion again?"
"Are they not afraid of dying?"
'Again?'
'Not afraid of dying?'
'Is it a life-threatening risk to have your eyes on the Chu Family's Old Mansion?'
A trace of astonishment flashed in Chu Fan's eyes as the conversation between that wretched couple from last night suddenly came to mind.
"The Chu Family's Old Mansion is cursed. Many people have tried to take it before, but they all ended up either dead or insane."
"Even the young master of the Huang Family has only just now dared to make a move on that mansion..."
'In that case, even the Government Office knows about this?'
'But why have I never seen the Government Office come to my home to investigate?'
Chu Fan's gaze fell on the young constable, hoping to glean more information from him.
But the young constable avoided him like the plague, skipping right over him to question the others, much to Chu Fan's frustration.
...
Meanwhile, Lu Tao's expression shifted slightly as he listened to the conversation between his subordinate and Zhao Hu.
Many years ago, when he was just a junior constable, he had followed his master to handle several murder cases related to the Chu Family's Old Mansion.
In those years, many people coveted the Chu Family's Old Mansion, but in the end, they all met a tragic death or went mad.
He had once wanted to investigate Chu Fan's parents but was stopped and fiercely reprimanded by his master.
Judging by his master's expression, not only did he deeply respect Chu Fan's parents, but there was also an undeniable thread of fear woven into that respect!
From that moment on, he had become more curious about the Chu Family.
But after becoming a Constable, he could only follow his master's instructions, treating the Chu Family as forbidden ground and avoiding it whenever possible.
Unexpectedly, Chu Fan's parents had died under strange circumstances two years ago.
Now, two years later, someone was targeting the Chu Family's Old Mansion again?
Could the deaths of Liu Da and his men be related to the Chu Family?
Lu Tao's gaze fell on Chu Fan.
At this moment, Chu Fan still had a touch of boyishness about him. Although his qi and blood were several times stronger than before he started cultivating, he still appeared thin and frail.
He seemed terrified by the situation, keeping his head lowered the entire time.
Lu Tao's eyes narrowed slightly as his left hand formed a hand seal.
In an instant, the world around him fell deathly silent. A mist rose in his eyes, and everything before him seemed to lose its color, turning into a world of gray.
'This abundant qi and blood...'
Lu Tao's expression changed, and his eyes narrowed further.
Under the observation of his "Qi Sensing Skill," the qi and blood of Zhao Hu and the others next to Chu Fan were like candles flickering in the wind.
Only Chu Fan's qi and blood was like a flame that burned brighter and brighter!
'Infinitely close to the Blood Nourishing realm...'
'But something seems a little off.'
Just now, Zhao Hu said that Liu Da and his men had beaten Chu Fan several times, smashed his gate, and torn the fishing nets he relied on for his livelihood.
'Could those useless thugs, Liu Da and his gang, have possibly beaten Chu Fan?'
'If I'm not mistaken, Chu Fan must have been the one who did it.'
'But what does that have to do with me, Lu Tao?'
'A few days ago, the Liu Family's only son was beaten to death in the street by a Fishery Tyrant. My subordinates traced it back to the Blood Saber Sect, but the County Magistrate stopped the investigation.'
'Now that a few ruffians have died, the County Magistrate is suddenly forcing me to investigate thoroughly, claiming that "too many people died, and the impact is severe."'
'There's not a shred of justice in this world!'
After his men finished questioning everyone, Lu Tao waved his hand and led the constables away.
As he passed by Chu Fan, he casually glanced over at him.
Their eyes met, and Lu Tao actually gave a slight nod and a smile.
After he left the courtyard, the Government Officials waiting outside immediately had people come in, wrap the bodies in straw mats, and drag them out.
Chu Fan, Zhao Hu, and the others also retrieved their firewood splitters.
'Is that it? Is it over?'
Glancing quickly at Lu Tao's departing figure, Chu Fan felt a chill run down his spine.
The situation was more or less what he had expected, yet with a few differences.
When Lu Tao was observing him just now, it felt like needles on his back!
In that moment, he knew Lu Tao must have used some kind of Secret Technique to sense his Qi Blood Power.
He was already calculating his next move.
He was even prepared to fight for his life and escape.
But he never expected that Lu Tao would say nothing and even give him a small smile.
There wasn't a trace of malice or hostility in that smile.
"Mr. Zhao, what do you know about that Constable Lu?" Chu Fan couldn't help but ask as they walked out of the Liu Family Courtyard.
Zhao Hu rubbed his frozen red hands, the white puff of his breath crystallizing on his beard. "That Constable Lu? He's one of the few good officials we have here in the Outer City!"
"Four years ago, before he was even a Constable, he took down the Black Wind Stronghold all by himself. He got stabbed in the process but still brought the hostages back safely."
"And a while back, when the White Tiger Gang was kidnapping young women, he was the one who led his men to set an ambush and wipe them out."
"The ruffians and scoundrels on the street are like mice seeing a cat when they see him. Their legs start to tremble."
"Whenever the neighbors mention him, every single one gives a thumbs-up. They all say he's a true pillar of justice for our Outer City."
"You saw it yourself just now..."
"He knew Liu Da and his men were animals, so while it looked like he was investigating, he was just going through the motions. He never intended to dig deep."
As Chu Fan listened, his brow gradually relaxed.
'So that's the kind of person Constable Lu is.'
After a moment of silence, Chu Fan asked again, "Mr. Zhao, why do people say that those who coveted my family's old mansion in the past either ended up dead or went insane?"
"Well..." Zhao Hu looked embarrassed. "I've heard some rumors, but I can't make heads or tails of them. It's probably just hearsay."
'Hearsay?'
'Where there's smoke, there's fire.'
But Chu Fan didn't press the issue.
He returned home through the heavy snow to find the inside of his house in even greater disarray.
He didn't know if a mouse would enter this house and leave crying.
But when Liu Da and his men came in, they searched it inside and out, and in their frustration, they ended up smashing his front gate.
'The constables probably did the same.'
'I might as well go find a broker later and sell this mansion.'
Chu Fan looked up at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
The osmanthus tree's trunk was gnarled like a dragon, and its crown, like a giant open umbrella, was covered in a thick layer of snow, leaning toward his parents' room.
He had seen this sight countless times in his memories.
But this time...
Thinking about the "cursed" talk he'd overheard last night, the young constable's strange attitude, and now looking at the uniquely shaped osmanthus tree, Chu Fan felt a strong desire to investigate the old mansion.
He strode toward his parents' room.
A large, rusty lock hung on the door. Just like the main gate, it had a big hole smashed through it.
Through the hole, he could see that the tables and chairs inside were all shattered, the floor covered in wood chips and dust.
Chu Fan gripped the edges of the hole in the door with both hands and pulled lightly...
"CRACK!"
With a soft sound, he had pulled the entire door right off its frame.
Chu Fan slowly walked into the room.
A wave of sorrow rose from the bottom of his heart.
Memories associated with this room flooded his mind, piece by piece.
Just then...
A deep, strange voice suddenly echoed in his mind, repeating over and over:
"Come!"
"Come!"